Sociological rational choice theory

@article{Hechter1997SociologicalRC,
  title={Sociological rational choice theory},
  author={Michael Hechter and Satoshi Kanazawa},
  journal={Review of Sociology},
  year={1997},
  volume={23},
  pages={191-214}
}
Although rational choice theory has made considerable advances in other social sciences, its progress in sociology has been limited. Some sociologists' reservations about rational choice arise from a misunderstanding of the theory. The first part of this essay therefore introduces rational choice as a general theoretical perspective, or family of theories, which explains social outcomes by constructing models of individual action and social context. “Thin” models of individual action are mute… Expand
View via Publisher
personal.lse.ac.uk
469 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
18
Background Citations
154
Methods Citations
10
Results Citations
6

Figures from this paper

469 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Public Choice Theory for Political Sociology
Some sociologists and other social scientists argue that political andother sociology should be founded on a venerabl e or nascen t rationa l choicetheory seen as a unifying paradigm. Such a paradigm… Expand
Rational Choice Theory in Comparative Sociology
Among schools of thought in comparative research, Rational Choice Theory ( RCT ) is both the most systematic and the most contested. RCT lacks a “classical” foundation but offers a clear internal… Expand
Unification of Sociological Theory by the Rational Choice Model: Conceiving the Relationship between Economics and Sociology
This paper reconsiders the possibility for unification of sociological theory by the rational choice model. This is induced by the claims of rational choice theorists that extending this model from… Expand
Contributions of Rational Choice Theory to Modern Sociology: An Overview
Rational Choice (RC) theory argues that individual actions and their social outcomes can be explained by assuming goal-directed behaviour which is consistent with certain rationality criteria. This… Expand
The Debate on Historical Sociology: Rational Choice Theory and Its Critics1
In the past two decades, many sociologists have denied the use‐fulness of general theories in favor of more particularistic ap‐proaches to historical explanation, which makes it difficult to specify… Expand
Rational Choice Requiem: The Decline of an Economic Paradigm and its Implications for Sociology
The paper proposes and shows that standard rational choice theory has experienced a certain degree of breakdown or crisis in much of contemporary economic science, especially social, institutional,… Expand
Reexamining economic sociology: Beyond rational choice reductionism
The article aims at reexamining the origins and character of economic sociology by comparison with rational choice within the history of economic and social ideas, particularly neoclassical economic… Expand
Russian Mafia : The Explanatory Power of Rational Choice Theory
Many philosophers, sociologists, and political scientists defend the claim that rational choice theory can provide the basis for a unified and comprehensive theory of social behaviour. Rational… Expand
Is sociology the science of the irrational? Conceptions of rationality in sociological theory
This paper explores the role of the concept of rationality in (especially classical) sociological theory. This exploration is prompted by widely held views, especially among economists and rational… Expand
De Gustibus Est Disputandum*
While rational choice theorists have made great advances in their study of institutions and structures (and how they affect behavior), they have made less progress toward understanding the origins of… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 164 REFERENCES
Homo sociologicus: do we need him/her?
Until quite recently rational action or choice theory (spawned by Homo Economicus) had gained few adherents amongst those who struggle to find adequate foundational ideas for a sociological theory.… Expand
Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory: A Critique of Applications in Political Science
This is the first comprehensive critical evaluation of the use of rational choice theory in political science. Writing in an accessible and nontechnical style, Donald P. Green and Ian Shapiro assess… Expand
The Limits of Public Choice : A Sociological Critique of the Economic Theory of Politics
Public choice has been one of the most important developments in the social sciences in the last twenty years. However there are many people who are frustrated by the uncritical importing of ideas… Expand
Should Values Be Written out of the Social Scientist's Lexicon?
Rational choice theory' is often faulted for treating values, preferences, and other internal states as exogenous to its explanations. Calls for an endogenous theory of values have been gaining… Expand
A Theory of Religion
Winner of the 1993 Distinguished Book Award, Pacific Sociological Association "A major work in three different areas of sociology, [A Theory of Religion] is a model of how to build a systematic… Expand
PERSONAL CAPITAL AND SOCIAL CONTROL: THE DETERRENCE IMPLICATIONS OF A THEORY OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN CRIMINAL OFFENDING*
A large and growing literature links stable individual differences established early in life to deviant behavior through the life course. This literature challenges basic premises of modern… Expand
Feminist Critiques of the Separative Model of Self
The article applies the radical-cultural feminist critique of the separative model of self to rational choice theories. Four assumptions of neoclassical economics-the “ideal type” of rational choice… Expand
A Theory of Ethnic Group Boundaries
. Despite widespread agreement that ethnic boundaries are malleable rather than fixed, theories of ethnicity and collective action have been unable to adequately explain why individuals choose to… Expand
Beyond Economic Man: Feminist Theory and Economics
Introduction: The Social Construction of Economics and the Social Construction of Gender , Marianne A. Ferber and Julie A. Nelson 1 The Study of Choice or the Study of Provisioning? Gender and the… Expand
The Formation of State Policy in Western European Absolutisms: A Comparison of England and France
helpful comments on earlier drafts. RECENT debates in political sociology have increasingly focused on the issue of the autonomy of the state. 5ome of the most important contributions to these… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...